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IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE NORTHERN DISTRICT OF ILLINOIS
EASTERN DIVISION JENNIFER OSSOLA, JOETTA CALLENTINE, and SCOTT DOLEMBA, on behalf of themselves and all others similarly situated, Plaintiffs, v. AMERICAN EXPRESS COMPANY, AMERICAN EXPRESS CENTURION BANK, and WEST ASSET MANAGEMENT, INC., Defendants.
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Case No. 1:13-cv-04836 Hon. Judge John Z. Lee Hon. Mag. Judge Jeffrey Cole
PLAINTIFFS’ MOTION FOR AND MEMORANDUM IN SUPPORT OF
ATTORNEYS’ FEES, COSTS AND SERVICE AWARD WITH RESPECT TO DEBT COLLECTION SETTLEMENT
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Page I. INTRODUCTION ...............................................................................................................1
II. BACKGROUND AND SETTLEMENT .............................................................................2
III. LEGAL STANDARD FOR ATTORNEY’S FEE DECISIONS .........................................4
IV. ARGUMENT .......................................................................................................................5
A. The Court Should Calculate Fees as a “Percentage of the Fund.” ...........................5
B. Counsel’s Request Is Within the “Market Rate.” ....................................................6
1. The Requested Fee Comports with the Contracts Between Plaintiffs and Counsel. .......................................................................................................8
2. The Requested Fee Reflects the Fees Awarded in Other Settlements. ........9
a. Pre-Pearson Percentage of the Fund Settlements. ...........................9
b. Post-Pearson: The Pearson Presumption Did Not Alter the Market Rate for Fees. .................................................................................11
3. Other Factors Support the Requested Fee. .................................................12
a. Risk of Nonpayment ......................................................................13
b. Quality of Performance and Work Invested ..................................18
c. Stakes of the Case ..........................................................................19
C. The Incentive Award to the Class Representative Should Be Approved. .............20
V. CONCLUSION ..................................................................................................................21
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TABLE OF AUTHORITIES
Page(s)
Cases
Abbott v. Lockheed Martin Corp., No. 06-701, 2015 WL 4398475 (N.D. Ill. July 17, 2015) ........................................................ 12
Allen v. JPMorgan Chase Bank, NA, No. 13-8285 (N.D. Ill. Oct. 21, 2015) (Dkt. No. 93) ................................................................ 11
Americana Art China, Co. v. Foxfire Printing & Packaging, Inc., 743 F.3d 243 (7th Cir. 2014) ...................................................................................................... 5
Balschmiter v. TD Auto Fin. LLC, 303 F.R.D. 508 (E.D. Wis. 2014) ............................................................................................. 15
Beech Cinema, Inc. v. Twentieth Century Fox Film Corp., 480 F. Supp. 1195 (S.D.N.Y. 1979).......................................................................................... 10
Benzion v. Vivint, Inc., No. 12-61826 (S.D. Fla. Feb. 23, 2015) (Dkt. No. 201) ........................................................... 21
Bickel v. Sheriff of Whitley Cnty, No. 08-102, 2015 WL 1402018 (N.D. Ind. March 26, 2015) ................................................... 12
Birchmeier v. Caribbean Cruise Line, Inc., 302 F.R.D. 240 (N.D. Ill. 2014) ................................................................................................ 15
Boeing Co. v. Van Gemert, 444 U.S. 472 (1980) .................................................................................................................... 5
Campbell-Ewald Co. v. Gomez, 136 S. Ct. 663 (2016) ................................................................................................................ 16
CE Design Ltd. v. CV’s Crab House North, Inc., No. 07-5456 (N.D. Ill. Oct. 27, 2011) (Dkt. No. 424) ................................................................ 9
CE Design, Ltd. v. Exterior Sys., Inc., No. 07-66 (N.D. Ill. Dec. 6, 2007) (Dkt. No. 39) ....................................................................... 9
City of Greenville v. Syngenta Corp Prot., Inc., 904 F. Supp. 2d 902 (S.D. Ill. 2012) ......................................................................................... 10
Cook v. Niedert, 142 F.3d 1004 (7th Cir. 1998) ............................................................................................ 20, 21
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Craftwood Lumber Co. v. Interline Brands, Inc., No. 11-4462, 2015 WL 1399367 (N.D. Ill. Mar. 23, 2015) ................................................. 5, 11
Cummings v. Sallie Mae, No. 12-9984 (N.D. Ill. May 30, 2014) (Dkt. No. 91) ................................................................. 9
Desai v. ADT Sec. Servs., Inc., No. 11-1925 (N.D. Ill. June 21, 2013) (Dkt. No. 243) ......................................................... 9, 21
Donaca v. Dish Network, LLC., 303 F.R.D. 390 (D. Colo. 2014) ............................................................................................... 17
Florin v. Nationsbank of Ga., N.A., 34 F.3d 560 (7th Cir. 1994) .................................................................................................. 6, 13
G.M. Sign, Inc. v. Finish Thompson, Inc., No. 07-5953 (N.D. Ill. Nov. 1, 2010) (Dkt. No. 146) ................................................................. 9
Gaskill v. Gordon, 160 F.3d 361 (7th Cir. 1998) ...................................................................................................... 8
Gaskill v. Gordon, 942 F. Supp. 382 (N.D. Ill. 1996) ............................................................................................... 6
Gehrich v. Chase Bank USA, N.A., No. 12-5510, 2016 WL 806549 (N.D. Ill. Mar. 2, 2016) ......................................................... 12
Green v. DirecTV, Inc., No. 10-117, 2010 WL 4628734 (N.D. Ill. Nov. 8, 2010) ................................................... 16, 18
Greene v. Emersons Ltd., No. 76-2178, 1987 WL 11558 (S.D.N.Y. May 20, 1987) ........................................................ 10
Gusman v. Comcast Corp., 298 F.R.D. 592 (S.D. Cal. 2014) .............................................................................................. 17
Hanley v. Fifth Third Bank, No. 12-1612 (N.D. Ill.) (Dkt. No. 87) ......................................................................................... 9
Heekin v. Anthem, Inc., No. 05-01908, 2012 WL 5878032 (S.D. Ind. Nov. 20, 2012) .................................................. 21
Hinman v. M&M Rentals, Inc., No. 06-1156 (N.D. Ill. Oct. 6, 2009) (Dkt. No. 225) .................................................................. 9
Holtzman v. CCH, No. 07-7033 (N.D. Ill. Sept. 30, 2009) (Dkt. No. 33) ................................................................. 9
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In re Ampicillin Antitrust Litig., 526 F. Supp. 494 (D.D.C. 1981) ............................................................................................... 10
In re AT&T Mobility Wireless Data Servs. Sales Tax Litig., 792 F. Supp. 2d 1028 (N.D. Ill. 2011) ................................................................................ 16, 17
In re Bankcorp. Litig., 291 F.3d 1035 (8th Cir. 2002) .................................................................................................. 10
In re Bluetooth Headset Prods. Liability Litig., 654 F.3d 935 (9th Cir. 2011) .................................................................................................... 11
In re Capital One Tel. Consumer Prot. Act Litig., 80 F. Supp. 3d 781 (N.D. Ill. 2015) .......................................................................... 5, 10, 11, 18
In re Combustion, Inc., 968 F. Supp. 1116 (W.D. La. 1997).......................................................................................... 10
In re Cont’l Ill. Sec. Litig., 962 F.2d 566 (7th Cir. 1992) ...................................................................................................... 6
In re Dairy Farmers of Am., Inc., MDL No. 2031, 2015 WL 753946 (N.D. Ill. Feb. 20, 2015).................................................... 12
In re Ky. Grilled Chicken Coupon Mktg. & Sales Practices Litig., 280 F.R.D. 364 (N.D. Ill. 2011) ............................................................................................ 5, 10
In re Marsh ERISA Litig., 265 F.R.D. 128 (S.D.N.Y. 2010) .............................................................................................. 19
In re Mego Fin. Corp. Sec. Litig., 213 F.3d 454 (9th Cir. 2000) .................................................................................................... 10
In re Synthroid Marketing Litig., 325 F.3d 974 (7th Cir. 2003) ...................................................................................................... 5
In re Synthroid Mkt. Litig., 264 F.3d 712 (7th Cir. 2001) .......................................................................................... 7, 14, 20
In re Union Carbide Corp. Consumer Prods. Bus. Sec. Litig., 724 F. Supp. 160 (S.D.N.Y. 1989) ............................................................................................. 6
Jamison v. First Credit Servs., 290 F.R.D. 92 (N.D. Ill. 2013) ...................................................................................... 15, 16, 17
Kirchoff v. Flynn, 786 F.2d 320 (7th Cir. 1986) ................................................................................................ 8, 13
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Kolinek v. Walgreen Co., 311 F.R.D. 483 (N.D. Ill. 2015) .................................................................................. 6, 7, 11, 12
Mangone v. First USA Bank, 206 F.R.D. 222 (S.D. Ill. 2001) .................................................................................................. 8
Martin v. Dun & Bradstreet, Inc., No. 12-215 (N.D. Ill. Jan. 16, 2014) (Dkt. No. 63) .................................................................... 9
McCue v. MB Fin., Inc., No. 15-988, 2015 WL 4522564 (N.D. Ill. July 23, 2015) ........................................................ 12
Ossola v. Am. Express Co., No. 13-4836, 2015 WL 5158712 (N.D. Ill. Sept. 3, 2015) ....................................................... 17
Paldo Sign & Display Co. v. Topsail Sportswear, Inc., No. 08-5959 (N.D. Ill. Dec. 21, 2011) (Dkt. No. 116) ............................................................... 9
Pearson v. NBTY, Inc., 772 F.3d 778 (7th Cir. 2014) ...................................................................................................... 7
Retsky Family Ltd. P’ship v. Price Waterhouse, LLP, No. 97-7694, 2001 WL 1568856 (N.D. Ill. Dec. 10, 2001) ........................................................ 8
Saf-T-Gard Int’l v. Vanguard Energy Servs., No. 12-3671, 2012 WL 6106714 (N.D. Ill. Dec. 6, 2012) ........................................................ 15
Saf-T-Gard Int’l, Inc. v. Seiko Corp. of Am., No. 09-776 (N.D. Ill. Jan. 14, 2011) (Dkt. No. 100) .................................................................. 9
Silverman v. Motorola Solutions, Inc., 739 F.3d 956 (7th Cir. 2013) .................................................................................................... 13
Spano v. The Boeing Co., No. 06-743, 2016 WL 3791123 (S.D. Ill. March 31, 2016) ..................................................... 12
Spokeo, Inc. v. Robins, 136 S. Ct. 1540 (2016) .............................................................................................................. 16
Sutton v. Bernard, 504 F.3d 688 (7th Cir. 2007) .................................................................................... 5, 12, 13, 18
Taubenfeld v. AON Corp., 415 F.3d 597 (7th Cir. 2005) ................................................................................................ 8, 10
Van Gemert v. Boeing Co., 516 F. Supp. 412 (S.D.N.Y. 1981) ........................................................................................... 10
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Wilkins v. HSBC Bank Nev., N.A., No. 14-190, 2015 WL 890566 (N.D. Ill. Feb. 27, 2015) .......................................................... 11
Will v. Gen. Dynamics Corp., No. 06-698, 2010 WL 4818174 (S.D. Ill. Nov. 22, 2010) .................................................. 10, 21
Zolkos v. Scriptfleet, Inc., No. 12-8230, 2015 WL 4275540 (N.D. Ill. July 13, 2015) ...................................................... 12
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I. INTRODUCTION
On July 6, 2016, this Court preliminarily approved a proposed class action settlement
between Plaintiffs Jennifer Ossola and Scott Dolemba and Defendants American Express
Company and American Express Centurion Bank (collectively, “American Express”) and West
Asset Management, Inc. (“WAM”). This settlement (“Debt Collection Settlement”) creates a
$1,000,000, non-reversionary common fund for the benefit of 3,219 consumers whose cell
phones American Express’ vendor WAM called for debt collection purposes using an automatic
telephone dialing system or an artificial or prerecorded voice, in alleged violation of the
Telephone Consumer Protection Act (“TCPA”), 47 U.S.C. § 227. Class Counsel have been
zealously prosecuting Plaintiffs’ claims for nearly three years, achieving the settlement only after
extensive first- and third-party discovery, contested motion practice, and months of arms-length
negotiations.
As compensation for the substantial benefit conferred upon the Debt Collection
Settlement Class, Class Counsel respectfully move the Court for an award of attorneys’ fees of
$333,333.33, which represents one-third of the total settlement fund, plus $19,380.19 in out-of-
pocket costs. This request should be approved because (1) it represents the market rate for this
type of settlement and is in line with the Seventh Circuit’s directive in In re Synthroid, and (2)
represents a reasonable and appropriate amount in light of the substantial risks presented in
prosecuting this action, the quality and extent of work conducted, and the stakes of the case.
Class Counsel also respectfully move the Court for an award of $5,000 each to Plaintiffs Ossola
and Dolemba for their work on behalf of the Class. Such an award is routine and proper.
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II. BACKGROUND AND SETTLEMENT
This action was filed more than three years ago, on July 3, 2013, seeking redress for calls
allegedly made by or on behalf of American Express to the cell phones of Plaintiff Ossola and
others using an automatic telephone dialing system or an artificial or prerecorded voice in
violation of the Telephone Consumer Protection Act, 47 U.S.C. § 227. On July 24, 2013,
Plaintiff Dolemba filed an analogous lawsuit in this District based on calls WAM made on behalf
of American Express, Dolemba v. West Asset Management, Inc., No. 13-5278 (N.D. Ill.). WAM
was added as a defendant to the Ossola action on October 25, 2013, and the two actions were
subsequently consolidated on January 24, 2014. Dkt. Nos. 34, 70. As the facts surrounding the
calls to Plaintiffs continued to develop, they amended their consolidated class action complaint
on June 10, 2014. Dkt. No. 126.
The Debt Collection Settlement is the result of hard-fought litigation. American Express
and WAM denied any wrongdoing, each (1) asserting that the equipment used to make these
calls was not covered by the TCPA, (2) lodging thorny affirmative defenses, such as that they
had “prior express consent” to make such calls, and (3) denying that a class could ever be
certified in this case, absent settlement. Dkt. No. 146 ¶ 74 and pp. 23-25; Dkt. No. 265 ¶ 74 and
pp. 28-31.
Aside from major discovery battles and disagreements before Magistrate Judge Cole, see
Dkt. Nos. 93, 113, 118, 122, 125, 166, 167, 195, 219, 222, 227, 235, 262/263, 267, 277, 283,
285, 288, 292, 294, 296, 304/305, 329/331, Plaintiffs overcame numerous dispositive (or
effectively dispositive) motions from Defendants. On July 8, 2014, American Express filed a
Fed.R.Civ.P. 12(f) motion to strike class allegations, Dkt. No. 140, and a motion for partial
summary judgment as to its liability for its vendors’ calls, Dkt. No. 142. Defendant WAM
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similarly moved to dismiss Plaintiffs’ claims. Dkt. No. 134. These motions were ultimately
denied, Dkt. Nos. 245 (WAM motion to dismiss), 247 (American Express motion for summary
judgment), 249 (American Express motion to strike).
Defendants tried again the next year: on March 24, 2015, West Asset Management, Inc.
filed a Motion to Stay on Primary Jurisdictional grounds pending a decision from the Federal
Communications Commission (“FCC”) as to what kind of equipment constitutes an automatic
telephone dialing system, Dkt. No. 274, which American Express joined. Dkt. No. 280. This
motion was denied. Dkt. No. 286. A few months later, on October 2, 2015, American Express
filed a Motion to Stay all proceedings pending the outcome of an appeal of the FCC’s July 2015
Declaratory Ruling and Order, which was also denied. Dkt. Nos. 310, 330.
After years of litigation, the parties participated in an all-day, in-person mediation before
the Hon. Morton Denlow (Ret.) of JAMS on April 14, 2016, ultimately reaching an agreement in
principle. (Burke Decl. ¶ 15.) The proposed Debt Collection Settlement was finalized only after
several additional months of wrangling and negotiations, and only after an additional
recommendation from Judge Denlow on June 22, 2016. (Burke Decl. ¶ 15.)
The Settlement requires American Express to pay $1,000,000 for the benefit of a Debt
Collection Settlement Class defined as:
All persons nationwide within the United States who, on or after July 3, 2009 through December 31, 2013, received a call from West Asset Management, Inc. (or its agent or affiliate) in reference to a debt owed to American Express, to any of the 3,219 cellular telephone numbers on the Class List through the use of equipment alleged to be an automatic telephone dialing system, a predictive dialer and/or an artificial or prerecorded voice, where (i) the call was made in connection with the account of a “deceased customer” and/or (ii) the person called did not have a contractual relationship with American Express.
(Agr. ¶ II.17.) This Debt Collection Settlement Fund will be distributed on a pro rata basis to
Debt Collection Settlement Class Members who submit valid Claims, after payment of Claims
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Administrator costs, Class Counsel’s fee award, and any service award to Plaintiff. (Agr. ¶¶
II.19, III.C.1.) The Settlement is completely non-reversionary—all unclaimed or undistributed
amounts remaining in the Settlement Fund after all payments under the Settlement Agreement
will, to the extent administratively feasible, be redistributed to the Settlement Class or, if not
administratively feasible, to a Court-approved cy pres recipient. (Agr. ¶ III.C.1, III.G.2-3.)
Notice and administration through Kurtzman Carson Consultants LLC (“KCC”) is expected to
cost approximately $35,000. Debt Collection Settlement Class Members who submit a valid
Claim are expected to receive Settlement Awards of $500 or more, Dkt. No. 354 at 12—an
outstanding outcome given that this is the amount in statutory damages the non-fee-shifting
TCPA generally provides per violation. 47 U.S.C. § 227(b)(3).
Plaintiff respectfully requests that the Court approve attorneys’ fees of $333,333.33 and
costs of $19,380.19,1 as well as a service award of $5,000 each to Plaintiffs Ossola and
Dolemba. As explained below, the requested fee award is in line with the market rate for similar
attorney services in this jurisdiction, and fairly reflects the result achieved. Similarly, the
requested service award is comparable to other TCPA cases, and should be approved.2
III. LEGAL STANDARD FOR ATTORNEY’S FEE DECISIONS
The Seventh Circuit and other federal courts have long recognized that when counsel’s
efforts result in the creation of a common fund that benefits plaintiffs and unnamed class
1 The requested amount represents half of the total out-of-pocket costs expended by the law firms that litigated this case. Class Counsel have requested an identical amount as part of the Telemarketing Settlement. After examining them closely, Class Counsel believe that the costs in this case, which included, for example, the filing fee, mediation fees, travel to status hearings and mediation, were generally equally attributable to the Telemarketing and Debt Collection claims. 2 Plaintiff Callentine has entered into a separate class action settlement (“Telemarketing Settlement”) with American Express relating to Plaintiffs’ telemarketing claims. The Court preliminarily approved that settlement on July 6, 2016. Dkt. No. 357.
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members, counsel have a right to be compensated from that fund for their successful efforts in
creating it. See Boeing Co. v. Van Gemert, 444 U.S. 472, 478 (1980) (“lawyer who recovers a
common fund … is entitled to a reasonable attorneys’ fee from the fund as a whole”); Sutton v.
Bernard, 504 F.3d 688, 691 (7th Cir. 2007) (“the attorneys for the class petition the court for
compensation from the settlement or common fund created for the class’s benefit”).
In common fund cases, courts have discretion to use one of two methods to determine
whether the request is reasonable: (1) percentage of the fund; or (2) lodestar. Americana Art
China, Co. v. Foxfire Printing & Packaging, Inc., 743 F.3d 243, 247 (7th Cir. 2014). However,
“the approach favored in the Seventh Circuit is to compute attorney’s fees as a percentage of the
benefit conferred upon the class.” In re Ky. Grilled Chicken Coupon Mktg. & Sales Practices
Litig., 280 F.R.D. 364, 379 (N.D. Ill. 2011).
IV. ARGUMENT
A. The Court Should Calculate Fees as a “Percentage of the Fund.”
The Court should use the percentage of the fund approach to determine fees in this case.
Courts look to In re Synthroid Marketing Litig. (“Synthroid II”), 325 F.3d 974, 980 (7th Cir.
2003), to assist in determining fees, and have nearly uniformly held that the percentage of the
fund reflects the “market rate” for consumer class actions because “given the opportunity …
class members and Plaintiff’s counsel would have bargained for” such. Craftwood Lumber Co. v.
Interline Brands, Inc., No. 11-4462, 2015 WL 1399367, at *5 (N.D. Ill. Mar. 23, 2015); In re
Capital One Tel. Consumer Prot. Act Litig. (“In re Capital One”), 80 F. Supp. 3d 781, 795 (N.D.
Ill. 2015) (percentage of the fund method is “more likely to yield an accurate approximation of
the market rate” in TCPA case, and that, “had an arm’s length negotiation been feasible, the
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court believes that the class would have negotiated a fee arrangement based on a percentage of
the recovery, consistent with the normal practice in consumer class actions”).
One of the advantages that the percentage of the fund has over lodestar, and a substantial
reason why percentage of the fund more accurately represents the “market rate,” is that “the
lodestar method [would] require plaintiffs to monitor counsel and ensure that counsel are
working efficiently on an hourly basis, something a class of nine million lightly-injured plaintiffs
likely would not be interested in doing.” Kolinek v. Walgreen Co., 311 F.R.D. 483, 501 (N.D. Ill.
2015). Indeed, “there are advantages to utilizing the percentage method in common fund cases
because of its relative simplicity of administration.” Florin v. Nationsbank of Ga., N.A., 34 F.3d
560, 566 (7th Cir. 1994). As one seminal case found:
The percentage method is bereft of largely judgmental and time-wasting computations of lodestars and multipliers. These latter computations, no matter how conscientious, often seem to take on the character of so much Mumbo Jumbo. They do not guarantee a more fair result or a more expeditious disposition of litigation.
In re Union Carbide Corp. Consumer Prods. Bus. Sec. Litig., 724 F. Supp. 160, 170 (S.D.N.Y.
1989); see also In re Cont’l Ill. Sec. Litig., 962 F.2d 566, 573 (7th Cir. 1992) (noting it is easier
to establish market based contingency fee percentages than to “hassle over every item or
category of hours and expense and what multiple to fix and so forth”); Gaskill v. Gordon, 942 F.
Supp. 382, 386 (N.D. Ill. 1996) (percentage of fund method “provides a more effective way of
determining whether the hours expended were reasonable.”), aff’d, 160 F.3d 361 (7th Cir. 1998).
B. Counsel’s Request Is Within the “Market Rate.”
The Court is also tasked with determining what percentage of the settlement fund is
appropriately allocated as attorney’s fees. Synthroid II holds that the Court should determine this
percentage by approximating the market rate, and specifically found that the “market” fee for the
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first $10 million of a consumer class action was 30% of the entire settlement fund. More
recently, in Pearson v. NBTY, Inc., 772 F.3d 778, 782 (7th Cir. 2014), the Court established a
presumption for fee requests and found that notice and administration costs should be deducted
before calculating the percentage for attorney’s fees.
However, Pearson did not overrule Synthroid II, and did not purport to lower the “market
rate” for attorney’s fees in consumer class actions like this one. Instead, Pearson held that the
calculation for comparing settlements must account for costs as a benefit to counsel rather than a
benefit to the class. Pearson holds that District Courts enjoy wide discretion to award whatever
fees are reasonable and appropriate; under the Pearson presumption, fees in any given settlement
should not “exceed a third or at most a half of the total amount of money going to class members
and their counsel.” Pearson, 772 F.3d at 782 (emphasis added).
Here, Plaintiffs’ request falls squarely within the Pearson presumption. Plaintiffs
respectfully request that the Court approve $333,333.33 in attorney’s fees. This request amounts
to one-third of the entire $1,000,000 Debt Collection Settlement Fund, or 34.9% of the estimated
$955,000 Debt Collection Settlement Fund, exclusive of notice and administration costs and the
requested service awards. The Seventh Circuit has elucidated ‘benchmarks’ that can assist courts
in estimating the market rate, including “the fee contract between the plaintiff and counsel, data
from similar cases, and information from class-counsel auctions,” Kolinek, 311 F.R.D. at 501
(citing In re Synthroid Mkt. Litig. (“Synthroid I”), 264 F.3d 712, 719 (7th Cir. 2001)). Other
factors are relevant, as well, including the risk counsel undertook in accepting the case, the
quality of performance and the stakes of the case. Synthroid I, 264 F.3d at 721. As explained
below, each of these factors supports the requested fee.
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1. The Requested Fee Comports with the Contracts Between Plaintiffs and Counsel.
The requested fee award is not only supported by the fee awards deemed reasonable in
similar class cases; it is in line with representation agreements commonly entered into in this
District, including between Plaintiffs and their counsel. In addition to analyzing the market price
for legal services from analogous cases, courts also may examine “actual fee contracts that were
negotiated for private litigation.” Taubenfeld v. AON Corp., 415 F.3d 597, 599 (7th Cir. 2005);
see also Stumpf v. PYOD, No. 12-4688, 2013 WL 6123156, at *2 (N.D. Ill. Nov. 20, 2013) (“The
named plaintiff’s agreement to a floor of 33.33% of any net recovery supports the claim that
30% of the net recovery is tied to the market.”); Mangone v. First USA Bank, 206 F.R.D. 222,
226 (S.D. Ill. 2001) (requiring weight be given to the judgment of the parties and their counsel
where, as here, the fees were agreed to through arm’s length negotiations after the parties agreed
on the other key deal terms).
The customary contingency agreement in this Circuit is 33% to 40% of the total recovery.
Gaskill v. Gordon, 160 F.3d 361, 362–63 (7th Cir. 1998) (noting that typical contingency fees
are between 33% and 40% and affirming award of 38%); Kirchoff v. Flynn, 786 F.2d 320, 323
(7th Cir. 1986) (observing that “40% is the customary fee in tort litigation” and noting, with
approval, contract providing for one-third contingent fee if litigation settled prior to trial); Retsky
Family Ltd. P’ship v. Price Waterhouse, LLP, No. 97-7694, 2001 WL 1568856, at *4 (N.D. Ill.
Dec. 10, 2001) (recognizing that a customary contingent fee is “between 33 1/3% and 40%” and
awarding counsel one-third of the common fund).
Here, Plaintiffs entered into a retainer agreement with Class Counsel that reflects this fee
range, as is normal in consumer TCPA cases in this District. (Burke Decl. ¶ 14; Hutchinson
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Decl. ¶ 25; Wilson Decl. ¶ 6.) Such evidence supports a finding that the requested fee reflects the
amount Class Counsel would have received had they negotiated their fee ex ante.
2. The Requested Fee Reflects the Fees Awarded in Other Settlements.
a. Pre-Pearson Percentage of the Fund Settlements.
Awards of one-third of the entire settlement fund were commonplace before Pearson.
Some TCPA cases where this happened are as follows: Martin v. Dun & Bradstreet, Inc., 12-215
(N.D. Ill. Jan. 16, 2014) (Martin, J.) (Dkt. No. 63) (one-third of total payout); Hanley v. Fifth
Third Bank, No. 12-1612 (N.D. Ill.) (Dkt. No. 87) (awarding attorneys’ fees of one-third of total
settlement fund); Cummings v. Sallie Mae, No. 12-9984 (N.D. Ill. May 30, 2014) (Gottschall, J.)
(Dkt. No. 91) (one-third of common fund); Desai v. ADT Sec. Servs., Inc., No. 11-1925 (N.D. Ill.
June 21, 2013) (Bucklo, J.) (Dkt. No. 243) (one-third of the settlement fund); Paldo Sign &
Display Co. v. Topsail Sportswear, Inc., No. 08-5959 (N.D. Ill. Dec. 21, 2011) (Kennelly, J.)
(Dkt. No. 116) (fees equal to one-third of the settlement fund plus expenses); CE Design Ltd. v.
CV’s Crab House North, Inc., No. 07-5456 (N.D. Ill. Oct. 27, 2011) (Kennelly, J.) (Dkt. No.
424) (fees equal to one-third of settlement plus expenses); Saf-T-Gard Int’l, Inc. v. Seiko Corp.
of Am., No. 09-776 (N.D. Ill. Jan. 14, 2011) (Bucklo, J.) (Dkt. No. 100) (fees and expenses equal
to 33% of the settlement fund); G.M. Sign, Inc. v. Finish Thompson, Inc., No. 07-5953 (N.D. Ill.
Nov. 1, 2010) (Kendall, J.) (Dkt. No. 146) (fees of one-third of settlement plus expenses);
Hinman v. M&M Rentals, Inc., No. 06-1156 (N.D. Ill. Oct. 6, 2009) (Bucklo, J.) (Dkt. No. 225)
(fees and expenses equal to 33% of the fund); Holtzman v. CCH, No. 07-7033 (N.D. Ill. Sept. 30,
2009) (Nordberg, J.) (Dkt. No. 33) (same); CE Design, Ltd. v. Exterior Sys., Inc., No. 07-66
(N.D. Ill. Dec. 6, 2007) (Darrah, J.) (Dkt. No. 39) (same).
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Some other, non-TCPA cases where one-third of the entire fund was awarded, include:
Taubenfeld, 415 F.3d at 600 (noting counsel had submitted a table of thirteen cases in the
Northern District of Illinois where counsel was awarded fees amounting to 30–39% of the
settlement fund); In re Ky. Grilled Chicken, 280 F.R.D. at 380–81 (citing cases, and describing a
fee of 32.7% of the common fund as “well within the market rate and facially reasonable”); City
of Greenville v. Syngenta Corp Prot., Inc., 904 F. Supp. 2d 902, 908–09 (S.D. Ill. 2012)
(approving a one-third fee because a “contingent fee of one-third of any recovery after the
reimbursement of costs and expenses reflects the market price” and citing cases); Will v. Gen.
Dynamics Corp., No. 06-698, 2010 WL 4818174, at *3 (S.D. Ill. Nov. 22, 2010) (finding “the
market rate for complex plaintiffs’ attorney work in this case and similar cases is a contingency
fee” and agreeing “a one-third fee is consistent with the market rate”); In re Bankcorp. Litig.,
291 F.3d 1035, 1038 (8th Cir. 2002) (affirming award of 36% of the settlement fund); In re
Mego Fin. Corp. Sec. Litig., 213 F.3d 454, 460 (9th Cir. 2000) (affirming award of attorneys’
fees equal to 33.33% of the total recovery); Greene v. Emersons Ltd., No. 76-2178, 1987 WL
11558, at *8 (S.D.N.Y. May 20, 1987) (awarding attorneys’ fees and expenses in excess of 46%
of the settlement fund); In re Combustion, Inc., 968 F. Supp. 1116, 1131–32 (W.D. La. 1997)
(awarding attorneys’ fees equal to 36% of the common fund); In re Ampicillin Antitrust Litig.,
526 F. Supp. 494, 503 (D.D.C. 1981) (awarding attorneys’ fees in excess of 40% of the
settlement fund); Beech Cinema, Inc. v. Twentieth Century Fox Film Corp., 480 F. Supp. 1195,
1198–99 (S.D.N.Y. 1979) (awarding fees in excess of 50% of the settlement fund); Van Gemert
v. Boeing Co., 516 F. Supp. 412, 420 (S.D.N.Y. 1981) (awarding fees of 36% of fund).
While it is true that Judge Holderman did an extensive empirical analysis of TCPA
settlements around the country in In re Capital One, 80 F. Supp. 3d at 795, his ultimate analysis
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included cases from the Ninth Circuit, where the “benchmark” for attorney’s fees in class actions
is 25%. In re Bluetooth Headset Prods. Liability Litig., 654 F.3d 935, 942 (9th Cir.2011); cf.
Kolinek, 311 F.R.D. at 501 (making similar observation that a separate analysis failed to account
that the benchmark was lower in the Ninth Circuit, and citing Seventh Circuit cases for
proposition that 30% is the “base market rate” for settlements here). In addition, the percentage
of the fund did not control for administration costs from the amount of the fund, which, if it had,
would have dramatically increased the percentages.
b. Post-Pearson: The Pearson Presumption Did Not Alter the Market Rate for Fees.
The 34.9% fee – after deducting administration costs and any service awards – requested
here represents the post-Pearson market price, and is therefore reasonable. That the rate is within
the market is reflected in the following fees approved by judges in this District in TCPA cases
since Pearson:
- 36% of total fund: In re Capital One, 80 F. Supp. 3d 781 (N.D. Ill. 2015) (36% of the first $10 million of the settlement) (Holderman, J.).
- 30% of total fund: Wilkins v. HSBC Bank Nev., N.A., No. 14-190, 2015 WL 890566 (N.D. Ill. Feb. 27, 2015) (30% of the first $10 million of the fund) (Holderman, J.).
- 30% of total fund: Craftwood Lumber Co. v. Interline Brands, Inc., No. 11-4462, 2015 WL 1399367 (N.D. Ill. Mar. 23, 2015) (St. Eve, J.).
- 38% of fund minus expenses, notice/admin costs, and service award: Martin v. JTH Tax, Inc., No. 13-6923 (N.D. Ill. Sept. 16, 2015), transcript, Exhibit E at 15 (Shah, J.).
- 36% of fund minus notice/admin costs and service award: Kolinek v. Walgreen Co., 311 F.R.D. 483, 501 (N.D. Ill. 2015) (Kennelly, J.).
- 33% of fund minus notice/admin costs: Allen v. JPMorgan Chase Bank, NA, No. 13-8285 (N.D. Ill. Oct. 21, 2015) (Dkt. No. 93 at 6) (Pallmeyer, J.).
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- 30% of total fund: Gehrich v. Chase Bank USA, N.A., No. 12-5510, 2016 WL 806549, at *16 (N.D. Ill. Mar. 2, 2016) (appeal pending) (Feinerman, J.).3
Class Counsel’s requested fee also reflects post-Pearson fees approved by other courts in
non-TCPA cases in this Circuit. Spano v. The Boeing Co., No. 06-743, 2016 WL 3791123
(S.D.Ill. March 31, 2016) (awarding 33 1/3% of the monetary settlement); McCue v. MB Fin.,
Inc., No. 15-988, 2015 WL 4522564 (N.D. Ill. July 23, 2015) (awarding 33.33% of the fund plus
costs); Abbott v. Lockheed Martin Corp., No. 06-701, 2015 WL 4398475 (N.D. Ill. July 17,
2015) (awarding 33.33% of the fund plus costs); Zolkos v. Scriptfleet, Inc., No. 12-8230, 2015
WL 4275540 (N.D. Ill. July 13, 2015) (awarding 33.33% of the fund plus expenses); Prena v.
BMO Fin. Corp., No. 15-09175, 2015 WL 2344949 (N.D. Ill. May 15, 2015) (awarding 33.5%
of the fund after deducting notice costs); Bickel v. Sheriff of Whitley Cnty, No. 08-102, 2015 WL
1402018 (N.D. Ind. March 26, 2015) (awarding 43.7% of the fund); In re Dairy Farmers of Am.,
Inc., MDL No. 2031, 2015 WL 753946 (N.D. Ill. Feb. 20, 2015) (awarding 33.33% of the
fund).4 Consequently, the requested fee award falls in line with numerous other settlements
approved as reasonable in this Circuit.
3. Other Factors Support the Requested Fee.
Beyond comparisons to similar fee awards and agreements, the market price for legal fees
“depends in part on the risk of nonpayment a firm agrees to bear, in part on the quality of its
performance, in part on the amount of work necessary to resolve the litigation, and in part on the
stakes of the case.” Sutton, 504 F.3d at 693 (quotation and internal marks omitted). Given the
3 The calculations here are for the first $10 million of the settlement. To the extent that these settlements exceeded $10 million, some of the Courts used a diminishing sliding scale. 4 Synthroid I also says that District Courts may look to any data from pre-suit negotiations and class-counsel auctions, but such information is “basically non-existent” in the TCPA context. Kolinek, 311 F.R.D. at 501.
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outstanding result achieved for the benefit of the Debt Collection Settlement Class in this case,
considering the risk of nonpayment to Class Counsel and extensive resources expended over the
years this litigation has been pending, Class Counsel respectfully submit that their requested fee
is reasonable and appropriate under the totality of circumstances, and should be approved.
a. Risk of Nonpayment
From changing regulatory precedent and even Supreme Court jurisprudence, to the
inability to establish an absence of predominating individualized issues sufficient for
certification of a litigation class, Class Counsel faced substantial risk and uncertainty at the
outset of this action that they would receive no compensation despite investing the time and
resources necessary to adequately prosecute this case. This risk supports the requested fee award.
“Contingent fees compensate lawyers for the risk of nonpayment. The greater the risk of
walking away empty-handed, the higher the award must be to attract competent and energetic
counsel.” Silverman v. Motorola Solutions, Inc., 739 F.3d 956, 958 (7th Cir. 2013) (citing
Kirchoff v. Flynn, 786 F.2d 320 (7th Cir. 1986)). Thus, the risk of non-payment is a key
consideration in assessing the reasonableness of a requested fee, and must be incorporated into
any ultimate fee award. See Florin, 34 F.3d at 565 (“[A] risk multiplier is not merely available in
a common fund case but mandated, if the court finds that counsel had no sure source of
compensation for their services.... [T]he need for such an adjustment is particularly acute in class
action suits. The lawyers for the class receive no fee if the suit fails, so their entitlement to fees is
inescapably contingent.”) (quotations and citations omitted); Sutton, 504 F.3d at 694 (finding
abuse of discretion where court refused to account for the risk of loss on basis that “class actions
rarely go to trial and that they all settle[,]” noting that “there is generally some degree of risk that
attorneys will receive no fee (or at least not the fee that reflects their efforts) when representing a
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class because their fee is linked to the success of the suit[;] ... [b]ecause the district court failed to
provide for the risk of loss, the possibility exists that Counsel … was undercompensated”).
In this context, “at the time” is at the start of the case: the Court must “estimate the terms
of the contract that private plaintiffs would have negotiated with their lawyers, had bargaining
occurred at the outset of the case (that is, when the risk of loss still existed).” Synthroid I, 264
F.3d at 718. That is so because “[t]he best time to determine this rate is the beginning of the case,
not the end (when hindsight alters of the perception of the suit’s riskiness, and sunk costs make it
impossible for the lawyers to walk away if the fee is too low). This is what happens in actual
markets.” Id. Thus, because this case was filed on July 3, 2013, the Court must look at the risks
associated with the case on that date.
Class Counsel agreed to pursue this action on a contingent fee basis without the benefit
of discovery regarding the size or ascertainability of the asserted class. Class Counsel accepted
the case despite that contentious class discovery would likely be required, with not only
American Express but also then-unknown third-party participant WAM, which made the calls at
issue. (Burke Decl. ¶ 12.) Indeed, it was unclear what the purpose of the calls were—whether
telemarketing or for debt collection—which required additional flexibility in prosecution and
made it difficult for Class Counsel to adequately value the case at the outset. (Burke Decl. ¶ 12.)
This differs from many other TCPA class cases, where the identity of the party making the calls,
that party’s collectability, and the calls’ purpose, is already known with some level of certainty.
(Burke Decl. ¶ 12.) Class Counsel also accepted the possibility that, given the class period going
back to 2009 and the fact that many vendors reside overseas and often purge their call records on
a regular basis, necessary class call data records would likely be difficult to obtain and, in fact,
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might have already been destroyed, potentially obliterating any ability to identify class members
and ultimately obtain class-wide relief. (Burke Decl. ¶ 12.)
Moreover, even assuming sufficient discovery would be obtained, Class Counsel
accepted the risk that the Court might ultimately deny certification. This is a very real concern,
as, for example, courts are currently divided as to whether consent issues predominate over
common questions in TCPA cases, depending on the circumstances of the case. Compare
Jamison v. First Credit Servs., 290 F.R.D. 92, 107 (N.D. Ill. 2013) (finding issues of consent to
predominate in TCPA action) and Balschmiter v. TD Auto Fin. LLC, 303 F.R.D. 508, 527 (E.D.
Wis. 2014) (same), with Saf-T-Gard Int’l v. Vanguard Energy Servs., No. 12-3671, 2012 WL
6106714 (N.D. Ill. Dec. 6, 2012) (certifying a class in a TCPA action and finding no evidence
supported the view that issues of consent would be individualized) and Birchmeier v. Caribbean
Cruise Line, Inc., 302 F.R.D. 240, 253 (N.D. Ill. 2014) (same).
And throughout much of this litigation, the FCC was considering numerous petitions,
many of which were made by industry advocates urging the FCC to loosen prohibitions against
autodialed calls like the ones at issue in this case. These efforts required not only work
representing Plaintiffs and the class without compensation, but various in-person and telephonic
meetings with the FCC that directly discussed petitions on the definition of an ATDS that, if
granted, would have defeated Plaintiffs’ claims. (Keogh Decl. ¶ 16) (numerous in-person
meetings with FCC staff or commissioner’s advisors in Washington D.C. advocating against
limiting ATDS to systems that dial numbers randomly in the narrowest interpretation).5
And although Class Counsel actively advocates to the FCC in favor of consumers, the
process can be unpredictable. For example, on October 30, 2014, the FCC issued an order re- 5 To be clear, Class Counsel is not seeking fees or costs for their work lobbying the FCC, but raise the point to illustrate that this litigation was multifaceted and complex.
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confirming its unequivocal prior orders that fax advertisements must contain specific language
explaining how recipients can “opt-out” of receiving more faxes, but providing retroactive
immunity for violators that file petitions with the FCC—a wholly unexpected and incongruous
result from the consumer perspective.6 In fact, it was only until two years into this litigation, on
July 10, 2015, that the FCC released a declaratory ruling clarifying relevant issues as wide-
ranging as consent and the definition of an “automatic telephone dialing system” under the
statute.7 And then there were the overhanging Spokeo and Campbell-Ewald Co. cases before the
Supreme Court affecting standing and defendants’ ability to “pick-off” named plaintiffs through
a settlement offer or Rule 68 offer of judgment. 8
Success, especially at the outset of this action, was by no means assured. Class Counsel
accepted that litigating these and other issues risked recovering nothing for the class, Plaintiffs,
or counsel, and would have required significant expenditure of time, money, and resources —
including potentially substantial expert expenses — for which Class Counsel would receive
absolutely no compensation upon losing at summary judgment, class certification, or trial. See In
re AT&T Mobility Wireless Data Servs. Sales Tax Litig., 792 F. Supp. 2d 1028, 1035-35 (N.D.
Ill. 2011) (finding significant risk of nonpayment where, among other reasons, counsel would
have to overcome case dispositive defenses and certify a class); Jamison, 290 F.R.D. at 102–09
(denying class certification in part because a class-wide determination of consent would require
“a series of mini-trials”); Green v. DirecTV, Inc., No. 10-117, 2010 WL 4628734, at *5 (N.D. Ill.
Nov. 8, 2010) (granting summary judgment against TCPA plaintiff). The risk was real. As
detailed in the accompanying declarations of counsel, plaintiffs’ lawyers lose TCPA cases all the 6 See http://transition.fcc.gov/Daily_Releases/Daily_Business/2014/db1030/FCC-14-164A1.pdf. 7 See https://apps.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/FCC-15-72A1.pdf. 8 See generally Spokeo, Inc. v. Robins, 136 S. Ct. 1540 (2016); Campbell-Ewald Co., v. Gomez, 136 S. Ct. 663 (2016).
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time, both through summary judgment and through denial of class certification. See, e.g.,
Donaca v. Dish Network, LLC., 303 F.R.D. 390, 396-402 (D. Colo. 2014) (denying class
certification in TCPA action); (Burke Decl. ¶ 13; Hutchinson Decl. ¶ 24; Wilson Decl. ¶ 9).
One of the primary battles in every TCPA action involves class plaintiffs’ attempts to
determine the size and scope of the class. Those facts are not (and cannot be) known by
plaintiffs’ counsel ex ante, and typically require contentious discovery and litigation before ever
becoming known. This case is no different; Class Counsel engaged in contested motion practice
during discovery in an effort to determine the scope of the class. TCPA plaintiffs sometimes lose
such motions and are unable to proceed on a class basis as a result. See, e.g., Gusman v.
Comcast Corp., 298 F.R.D. 592, 596–97 (S.D. Cal. 2014) (denying motion to compel production
of call data). Indeed, this Court denied Plaintiffs’ requests to compel American Express to
produce its internal call data, in effect limiting the scope of the case to calls made by its third-
party vendors identified with respect to the specific calls to Plaintiffs. Dkt. Nos. 305, 332; Ossola
v. Am. Express Co., 2015 WL 5158712 (N.D. Ill. Sept. 3, 2015).
Plaintiffs believe that they would have prevailed on these issues, but success was by no
means assured. Litigating these issues would have risked recovering nothing for the class, and
would have required significant additional expenditure of time, money, and resources —
including potentially substantial expert expenses — for which Class Counsel would not be
compensated should they lose on summary judgment or fail to certify a class. See In re AT&T
Mobility Wireless Data Servs. Sales Tax Litig., 792 F. Supp. 2d 1028, 1035–35 (N.D. Ill. 2011)
(finding class counsel incurred significant risk of nonpayment where, among other reasons, class
counsel would have to overcome case dispositive defenses and certify a class); Jamison, 290
F.R.D. at 102–09 (denying class certification in part because a class-wide determination of
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consent would require “a series of mini-trials”); Green v. DirecTV, Inc., 10 C 117, 2010 WL
4628734, at *5 (N.D. Ill. Nov. 8, 2010) (granting summary judgment against TCPA plaintiff).
That risk was meaningful. Of course, the facts and circumstances of every case are
different and must be individually considered and separately analyzed, but it bears noting that
Class Counsel have lost a number of TCPA class actions without any recovery for the class or
receiving any compensation for their fees or costs. (Burke Decl. ¶ 13; Hutchinson Decl. ¶ 24;
Wilson Decl. ¶ 9.) In light of the considerable risk undertaken by Class Counsel in prosecuting
this action on a purely contingent fee basis, the requested fee award is reasonable and should be
granted. In re Capital One, 80 F. Supp. 3d at 805 (awarding 6% risk premium on top of 30% in
TCPA class settlement, where some class members may have agreed to be called, there were
potential manageability issues in relation to the ability to determine from defendants’ records
whether class members consented or provided or owned their phone numbers, and FCC petitions
similarly at issue in this case potentially could have affected the plaintiffs’ claims).
b. Quality of Performance and Work Invested
The quality of Class Counsel’s performance and time invested in fighting through years
of contested motion practice, substantial discovery, and adversarial negotiations to achieve a
$1,000,000, non-reversionary settlement fund for the benefit of 3,219 Debt Collection Settlement
Class Members further supports the requested fee award. Sutton, 504 F.3d at 693. In addition to
accepting considerable risk in litigating this action, Class Counsel committed their time and
resources to this case without any guarantee of compensation, whatsoever, only achieving the
Settlement after over two-and-a-half years of litigation. Class Counsel successfully overcame
numerous hurdles, from adversarial motion practice requesting that the Court strike Plaintiffs’
class allegations, rule in Defendants’ favor on summary judgment, or stay proceedings based on
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matters before the FCC, to contentious first and third-party discovery requiring multiple motions
to compel. Dkt. Nos. 85, 140, 142, 161, 245, 249, 274, 280, 286, 290, 310, 330.
In addition to their substantial litigation efforts, Class Counsel devoted numerous hours
to negotiating the settlement, which included preparing their clients’ mediation submissions,
attending an all-day, in-person mediation, and following up with the mediator and opposing
counsel over the phone. (Burke Decl. ¶ 15; Keogh Decl. ¶ 3; Hutchinson Decl. ¶ 20; Wilson
Decl. ¶ 4.) Class Counsel insisted that American Express and WAM substantiate its assertions
regarding the number of class members and refused to settle until they had received and verified
this information. (Burke Decl. ¶ 15.) And Class Counsel spent substantial time preparing the
settlement papers and notice documents, working with the independent notice provider, and
drafting the motion for preliminary approval. (Burke Decl. ¶ 15; Hutchinson Decl. ¶ 20.)
Class Counsel are experienced in consumer and class action litigation, including under
the TCPA. (Burke Decl. ¶¶ 2-11; Keogh Decl. ¶¶ 12-46; Hutchinson Decl. ¶¶ 2-19; Wilson Decl.
¶¶ 1-3.) Moreover, because they were proceeding on a contingent fee basis, Class Counsel “had a
strong incentive to keep expenses at a reasonable level[.]” In re Marsh ERISA Litig., 265 F.R.D.
128, 150 (S.D.N.Y. 2010). As a result of Class Counsel’s experience and effort in achieving the
Debt Collection Settlement, each Class Member who submits a valid Claim is expected to
receive at least $500—the amount the TCPA generally affords per violation. Dkt. No. 354 at 12;
47 U.S.C. § 227(b)(3). Given the outstanding $1,000,000 settlement obtained for the 3,219-
member Settlement Class, Class Counsel respectfully submit that their experience and the quality
of their work supports the requested fee award.
c. Stakes of the Case
The stakes of the case further support the requested fee award. This Settlement involves
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thousands of Debt Collection Settlement Class Members who allegedly received automated debt
collection calls from WAM on behalf of American Express without prior express consent. The
amount each Settlement Class Member is individually eligible to recover under the TCPA is low
(between $500 and $1,500 per call), and thus individuals are unlikely to file individual lawsuits,
especially where they may have only received a small number of calls. Indeed, individual
litigants likely would have to provide proof of calls well beyond what is required here to submit
a claim, and call records may not be available going back to the beginning of the class period in
2009, making it even less likely that people would file individual lawsuits. A class action is
realistically the only way that many individuals would receive any relief. In light of the number
of Settlement Class Members, the outstanding recovery afforded under the Settlement
contemplating individual Settlement Awards in excess of the amount the TCPA generally affords
per violation, and the fact that class members likely would not have received any relief without
the assistance of Class Counsel, the requested fee is reasonable and should be granted.
C. The Incentive Award to the Class Representative Should Be Approved.
Class Counsel also respectfully request that the Court grant a service award of $5,000
each to Plaintiffs Ossola and Dolemba for their efforts on behalf of the class. Service awards
compensating named plaintiffs for work done on behalf of the class are routinely awarded. Such
awards encourage individual plaintiffs to undertake the responsibility of representative lawsuits.
See Cook v. Niedert, 142 F.3d 1004, 1016 (7th Cir. 1998) (recognizing that “because a named
plaintiff is an essential ingredient of any class action, an incentive award is appropriate if it is
necessary to induce an individual to participate in the suit”); Synthroid I, 264 F.3d at 722
(“Incentive awards are justified when necessary to induce individuals to become named
representatives.”).
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Plaintiffs worked with Class Counsel to investigate the case, were kept abreast of the
proceedings through litigation and settlement, spent substantial time responding to written
discovery requests, and reviewed and approved the proposed settlement. (Burke Decl. ¶ 16.)
Moreover, the amount requested here, $10,000, is comparable to or less than other awards
approved by federal courts in Illinois and elsewhere. See, e.g., Cook, 142 F.3d at 1016 (affirming
$25,000 incentive award to plaintiff); Heekin v. Anthem, Inc., No. 05-01908, 2012 WL 5878032,
*1 (S.D. Ind. Nov. 20, 2012) (approving $25,000 incentive award to lead class plaintiff over
objection); Will, 2010 WL 4818174, at *4 (awarding $25,000 each to three named plaintiffs);
Benzion v. Vivint, Inc., No. 12-61826 (S.D. Fla. Feb. 23, 2015) (Dkt. No. 201) (awarding
$20,000 incentive award in TCPA class settlement); Desai v. ADT Security Servs., Inc., No. 11-
1925 (N.D. Ill. Feb. 27, 2013) (Dkt. No. 243 ¶ 20) (awarding $30,000 incentive awards in TCPA
class settlement). The requested service awards of $5,000 each for Plaintiffs Ossola and
Dolemba are reasonable and should be approved.
V. CONCLUSION
WHEREFORE, for the foregoing reasons, Class Counsel respectfully request that the
Court grant the motion and award Class Counsel $333,333.33 in fees and $19,380.19 in costs.
Class Counsel further requests that the Court approve a service award to Plaintiffs Ossola and
Dolemba in the amount of $5,000 each.
Dated: September 2, 2016 Respectfully submitted, JENNIFER OSSOLA, JOETTA CALLENTINE and SCOTT DOLEMBA, on behalf of themselves and all others similarly situated, By: /s/ Alexander H. Burke
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BURKE LAW OFFICES, LLC Alexander H. Burke Email: [email protected] 155 N. Michigan Avenue, Suite 9020 Chicago, IL 60601 Telephone: (312) 729-5288 Facsimile: (312) 729-5289 KEOGH LAW, LTD. Keith Keogh Email: [email protected] Timothy Sostrin Email: [email protected] Michael S. Hilicki Email: [email protected] 55 W. Monroe, Ste. 3390 Chicago, Il. 60603 Telephone: (312) 265-3258 Facsimile: (312) 726-1093 SMITHMARCO P.C., Larry P. Smith Email: [email protected] David M. Marco Email: [email protected] 205 N. Michigan Ave., Suite 2940 Chicago, IL 60601 Telephone: (312) 222-9028 Facsimile: (888) 418-1277 LIEFF CABRASER HEIMANN & BERNSTEIN, LLP Jonathan D. Selbin Email: [email protected] Douglas I. Cuthbertson Email: [email protected] Jeremy M. Glapion Email: [email protected] 250 Hudson Street, 8th Floor New York, NY 10013 Telephone: (212) 355-9500 Facsimile: (212) 355-9592
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LIEFF CABRASER HEIMANN & BERNSTEIN, LLP Daniel M. Hutchinson Email: [email protected] 275 Battery Street, 29th Floor San Francisco, CA 94111-3339 Telephone: (415) 956-1000 Facsimile: (415) 956-1008 MEYER WILSON CO., LPA Matthew R. Wilson Email: [email protected] 1320 Dublin Road, Ste. 100 Columbus, OH 43215 Telephone: (614) 224-6000 Facsimile: (614) 224-6066 Counsel for Plaintiffs and the Class
CERTIFICATE OF SERVICE
I hereby certify that, on September 2, 2016, I caused the foregoing document to be
electronically filed with the Clerk of the United States District Court for the Northern District of
Illinois using the CM/ECF system, which will send notification of such filing to all counsel of
record.
/s/ Alexander H. Burke
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